Category: Nintendo News

Project Cars never did make it onto a Nintendo console in the end, but some of you may be familiar with the game’s creator, Slightly Mad Studios. As well as making a well-received sequel, the UK firm has built up quite a fanbase around its racing property and is now eyeing a rather more taxing challenge – a move into the world of video game hardware.

Dubbed ‘The Mad Box’, Slightly Mad Studios’ proposed foray into the realm of hardware will, according to CEO Ian Bell, be “the most powerful console ever built” and will support both 4K visuals and VR at 120fps. Bell initially tweeted this news before explaining a little more to Variety.

The console will use Slightly Mad’s own cross-platform development engine, called the Madness Engine, and won’t have any exclusive games. Instead, Bell says that the price of the machine will be ‘competitive’ with ‘upcoming’ consoles, which he presumably hopes will make it appealing to publishers and developers. Bell also says that “old and new” software will be present on the machine, which makes it sound rather like a Steam Box, if you ask us.

When quizzed on why Slightly Mad would ever decide to enter the costly waters of hardware production, Bell replied:

We think the industry is a little too much of a monopoly or a micro oligopoly. We think competition is healthy and we have the required hardware contacts to be able to bring something epic to fruition based on our designs.

“Multiple investors” are apparently on board already, which means Slightly Mad could actually have the cash required to pull this off. But would such an idea succeed, especially in a market where a firm like Microsoft – one of the tech industry’s biggest players with loads of first-party studios under its belt and very deep pockets – finds itself struggling to remain in the running?

Could Slightly Mad’s console – which, as Bell admits, won’t have any exclusive games – really shake things up? Let us know with a comment below.

UK developer and publisher Team17 had a pretty fantastic year in 2018 with a number of great titles arriving across Nintendo Switch and other platforms; Overcooked 2 actually jumped straight into second place in our list of the Best Switch Couch Co-Op Games, remaining a firm favourite ever since. It seems like 2019 will be no different, as the studio outlines its plans for the months to come.

First up is a little more news on the upcoming My Time at Portia; the game is currently in Early Access on Steam but has already started to generate a fair bit of interest from players. The development team has been working on several large content updates in response to fan requests, and the game is targetting a 2019 release across all platforms.

Next up is Overcooked 2. You might think that having the base game, the recently-added New Game+ mode, the Surf ‘N’ Turf DLC package, and the free festive content update would be more than enough to get your knives and forks stuck into, but there’s still more to come. Team17 says that it has nothing specific to reveal right now, but that “there will be plenty more” Overcooked 2 in 2019.

The studio has also reminded players about Genesis Alpha One, a sci-fi FPS coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, as well as multiplayer World War II shooter Hell Let Loose, before noting that these games only “scratch the surface” of what’s on the horizon.

“The year has only just begun and the handful of games we’ve listed above only scratch the surface of what’s in store for Team17 fans in 2019. There are some amazing games in the works both at the Team17 studio and with our Games Label partners as well as further updates and additions for previously released titles.”

Are you a fan of Team17’s work? Are you excited for the games listed above, or more so at the prospect of new titles in the works? Share your thoughts with us below.

Red Bull and Session Games are bringing Snowboarding The Next Phase to the eShop on January 10th, it has been revealed.

Created by developers who have previously worked on EA’s SSX and Skate franchises, this adaptation of the smartphone title Snowboarding The Fourth Phase combines sports with RPG elements to create what is perhaps the closest we’re going to get to a 1080° Snowboarding successor on Switch right now.

Here’s some PR:

An action-sports RPG with a strong focus on authentic backcountry snowboard action.
+ RIDE to beat missions and WIN new gear and items from your sponsors.
+ COLLECT and UPGRADE gear and equipment to increase your score and become the best.
+ COMPETE against other players and in special events for exclusive items and gear.
+ 60+ levels in 11 different locations including Alaska, Russia, Japan, and British Columbia.
+ Full-on support for Album: Capture epic powder carves, big drops, and massive tricks from both Follow and Drone camera views.
+ Real life pros. Real life brands. Learn from the best riders in the world. Ride the best and latest snowboard gear. Everything you need to access the steepest lines and the freshest powder, including snowcats, drones, and helicopters.

Retailing giant Amazon has shared a list of the 100 best-selling products under its ‘Video Games’ category throughout 2018 in the US. Nintendo has an impressively large presence in the list overall, even managing to snag the number one spot.

While this list obviously only covers this one particular store, Amazon’s retail dominance means that it still provides us with a decent look at which physical products are popular (although digital codes for things like PlayStation store credit actually litter the top 10). We’ve gathered all of the Nintendo-specific entries in the list for you below, including games, consoles, and unofficial accessories that have been marketed with Switch players in mind.

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1) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
4) Nintendo Switch Screen Protector Glass (amFilm)
6) Nintendo Switch Console – Neon Red/Blue
8) Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
15) Super Mario Party
17) Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Mini
21) Nintendo Switch Carry Case (Orzly)
22) Nintendo Switch Console – Grey
23) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
24) Super Mario Odyssey
25) Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!
26) Super Nintendo Entertainment System: SNES Classic Mini
30) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
36) Nintendo Switch Joy-Con L/R Neon Red/Blue
38) Nintendo Switch Joy-Con L/R Neon Pink/Green
39) Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!
40) $20 Nintendo eShop Gift Card (Digital Code)
42) GameCube Controller Super Smash Bros. Edition
46) Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Charging Dock (PowerA)
47) Mario Tennis Aces
48) Minecraft
49) Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
53) $10 Nintendo eShop Gift Card (Digital Code)
54) Octopath Traveler
55) Just Dance 2019
62) Kirby Star Allies
64) Nintendo Switch Joy-Con L/R Grey
67) Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! + Poké Ball Plus Pack
69) Nintendo Labo – Variety Kit
70) LEGO The Incredibles
71) GameCube Controller Adapter
75) Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! + Poké Ball Plus Pack
76) $50 Nintendo eShop Gift Card (Digital Code)
77) Switch Carrying Case (Hestia Goods)
79) Splatoon 2
80) AC Adapter for Nintendo 3DS (AmazonBasics)
81) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Digital Download Code)
87) Nintendo Switch Console Bundle w/ Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
89) $5 eShop Gift Card (Digital Code)
94) Nintendo Switch AC Adapter
95) Mario Kart Wii
97) Joy-Con Comfort Grips (PowerA)

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It’s a pretty impressive share of the top 100 products, with the Switch in particular proving to be very popular indeed. Also, in case you missed it, Mario Kart Wii was the 95th best-selling video game product on Amazon in 2018 despite the fact that it released ten years earlier in 2008. Wow.

If you’re interested in checking out the list in full, you can do so right here.

Any surprises here? Have you bought any of these top-selling products yourself? Let us know with a comment below.

Ever played an old Game Boy classic on the Wii’s Virtual Console and thought, “hey, this is great, but it still doesn’t feel quite like it used to in the good old days”? Well, this custom cartridge could well solve that dilemma as it allows players to use any Game Boy system as a controller for your GameCube or Wii. Neat.

The cartridge has been designed by Alex Iannuzzi, who has shared a blog post describing its creation and lists any that he does make for sale. No hacking or modification to the actual systems is required – this is simply a handmade Game Boy cartridge that can both spark your old system to life and wirelessly communicate with a receiver which plugs into your console of choice. Simply pop the cartridge in and play.

If you’re interested in the technical genius at work behind the project (which admittedly goes a little over our heads at certain points) you can read the full blog post here. Iannuzzi has also shared a video demonstrating the cartridge in action.

You can pick one up for yourself here (prices range from $14 for the model seen in the video to $23 for a version which instead resembles the smaller Game Boy Advance cart). The cartridges can be used with GameCube, Wii, and PC (Windows/Linux), and a Super Nintendo receiver is also on the way in the future.

What do you think? A clever little homemade project? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Elli, a brand new puzzle-platformer, is just a handful of jumps and tricks away from a release on Nintendo Switch. You’ll be able to get your hands on it as early as next week.

The game sees the titular Elli going on a journey through the land of the Mandragora. As Elli, your task is to reclaim the stolen Crystals of Time before her birthday is over, making your way through various puzzle and platforming sections tucked away inside a colourful world. You can see the game running for yourself in the trailer above.

That’s not all, though, as we also have a feature list and a collection of screenshots for you to check out, too:

Features:
– A whimsical hand-crafted single-player adventure filled with a variety of puzzles and exciting platforming. Watch your step, there are many dangers to overcome!
– Discover a delightful world, inhabited by the playful and usually helpful Mandragora. Journey from lavish beaches, through ancient temples, mountain tops and caverns filled with forgotten Mandragora technology, and more.
– Unreal Dev Grant recipient.
– A vast and ever-changing soundtrack, beautifully blending the themes of the world and underscoring Elli ́s adventure.
– Collect gems and deviously hidden coins and exchange them for a variety of robes, staffs and hats.
– Simple pick up and play controls, suitable for kids and big kids.

Elli launches on Nintendo Switch on 10th January – no other platforms have been listed at this time – with English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Japanese languages supported.

Do you like the look of this one? Will you be treating yourself to a copy next week? Tell us below.

Today, video game designer and director Goichi Suda – best known under the name ‘Suda51’ – is celebrating his 51st birthday. We couldn’t just let that slip by without a quick mention, right?

Suda51 first found his way into the video game development world as a designer at Human Entertainment, a Japanese studio which eventually declared bankruptcy at the turn of the millennium. His best-known work, however, has come from his own company Grasshopper Manufacture, which he founded after leaving Human in 1998.

Since then, Grasshopper has developed numerous games across PlayStation 2, GameCube, Nintendo DS, Wii, and more, with titles like The Silver Case, Killer7, and the No More Heroes series being particularly notable. His work is known for going against the norms of development, often using particularly striking visuals or gameplay styles that make his games instantly recognisable.

His next project is Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, which is arriving on Nintendo Switch in just over two weeks’ time. He’s also been teasing possibilities for Killer7 coming to Nintendo’s latest console, as well as a potentially “epic” No More Heroes 3, but his current focus will naturally be on the launch of Travis Strikes Again.

Happy birthday, Suda51! We hope you have a wonderful year!

Portable Wii consoles aren’t a new thing – we’ve seen one that fits inside a coat, lest we forget – but few fan-made mods come as elegantly packaged as this one.

The PiiWii Pocket is the creation of YouTuber Shank Mods, and uses actual Wii internals rather than emulation. It comes with a suite of controls, internal cooling and a rechargeable battery that offers around 4 hours of play – you can even use your Wii Remote with it to play motion-based titles.

Given the size of the unit, the optical media drive has had to go, and the PiiWii instead boots games from a USB thumb drive. The project is the culmination of three years of work, and while it’s a shame that we won’t be seeing this thing turn up on Amazon in the near future, you have to admire this guy’s craft.

It’s not the first time he’s modded a Wii, either – check out the Kill Mii below.

As is usually the case with any major gaming console release, you can now find near-countless ways to carry around your Nintendo Switch and games. While there are plenty of traditional carry cases and accessories available for your console that give you more for your money, this little Pokédex design might just win any Pokémon fans over thanks to its pure quirkiness.

The case is made from aluminium and high-density cutting foam, with rubber slots protecting your Switch game cards from damage when taking them out and about. It stores six games in total and can either be tucked away in your pocket – just like you might with an actual Pokédex – or slotted into a larger carry case that houses your console.

The product is currently available on Amazon for $14.99, with shipping available to most places around the world. User reviews are limited in number at present, but those that have reviewed it appear to be showering the accessory with praise.

Do you like the design? Are you tempted to treat yourself to the case for your favourite games? Tell us below.